“The report acknowledges all of the hard work people across the state have been doing, and it gives us some helpful recommendations for our next steps,” said Deborah A. Gist, Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education, in a news release. “The report notes, for example, that we don’t hold teacher-preparation programs accountable for the classroom effectiveness of their graduates, but that is something we’ll be doing soon.”

Rhode Island earned an overall grade of B-, second only to Florida, which earned a B. Rhode Island also ranked 5th among the state for progress made since the 2009 report.

“This report recognizes the importance of our new system for educator evaluation, which will provide all teachers with feedback and support to improve teaching and learning in our state. The report also recognizes our new certification system, which bases certification renewal on teacher effectiveness. Both of these new initiatives focus our education policies on what’s in the best interest of our students,” Gist said.

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